Improvement in discharging ordnance



W. JOHNSON.

Lock for Ordnance.

Patented May 26,' 1863.

NQ. 38,1683a O NiTnn STATES PATENT Ori-Ione WILLIAM JOHNSON, OFMILWAUKEE, VISOONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN DISCHARGING ORDNANCE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,683, dated May 26,1863 antedated February 9, 1863.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM JOHNSON, of Milwaukee, in the county ofMilwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and impellingforce on the projectile by leakage at the vent or point of ignition areobviated; second, the point of ignition is protected from rain ormoisture in any other form; third, if any failure to ignite the chargeby the percussion device intended to effect that object should occurprovision is afforded for igniting it by what I call a secondaryignition7 device applied for the purpose; and, fourth, provision is madefor very effectually spiking or disabling the gun.

Figure l in the accompanying drawings, is a central longitudinalvertical section of my apparatus complete, showing it applied to thebreech of a cannon. Fig. 2 is a similar section of the same with thehammer-box omitted and the secondary ignition device applied and incondition for operation, showing also a portion of a cartridge. Fig.l 3'is a transverse vertical section in the line .r of Fig. l. (Seen lookingin a forward direction.) Fig. 4 is a top view of what-I call thesecondary percussion-pin, showing it inthe position represented in Fig.2. 4

Similar letters of {reference indicate corresponding parts in theseveral figures.

Ais a stout plug of brass or iron, having an external screw-thread, a,and intended to be screwed into the breech of a piece of ordnance afterthe manner of a breech-pin. In a muzzle-loading piece the bore iscontinued right through the breech, which is then counterbored a littlelarger, and has the screwthread cut in for the reception of thescrewthread a. In adapting my invention to a muzzle-loading piecealready constructed the l breech may be out off to provide for theinsertion of the plug A. In a breech-loading piece the plug may beadapted to the movable breech in any suitable manner; but in any casethe inner end of the plug should constitute the seat for the receptionof the rear end of the cartridge. The plug A is bored centrally for thereception of the sliding pin B, and counterbored from the rear somewhatlonger, for the reception of a spiral spring, b, which is coiled roundthe said pin, and which bears against the shoulder C atthe front of thecounterbore and against a shoulder, d, formed in front of the head B ofthe pin B, and so exerts a constant tendency to pull back the said pinas far as permitted by a conical valve, e, which is formed around itsfront end, and which is made to iit gas-tight into a seat ofcorresponding form in the inner end of the plug A. The head of the pin Bprotrudes from the outer end of the plug A and enters a sector-shapedbox, C, which may be termed the hammer-box, and which is bolted to theouter end of the plug A. In the lower part of this box C there isarranged transversely a iixed pin, f, upon which a heavy hammer, D, iscapable of swinging, for the,

purpose of striking the head B of the pin B and driving the said pinforward through the plug A and against the percussion-cap g, Fig. 2, orother fulminating priming attached to the cartridge E, and therebyfiring the charge.

I propose to use a cartridge with a metallic head, F, having a nipple,h, or seat provided on or in it for the reception of the cap' or otherpriming, and having attached to it a tube, i, to convey the fire to anydesired point in the cartridge 'or to several points therein. The hammerhas attached to its hub a short arm, j, which has attached to it a cord,L, which passes out through an opening in the bottom of the hammer-boxand in contact with a pulley, H, arranged in the said opening. 'Ihiscord is to be pulled by'one of the men working the gun when it isdesired to re, the pull causing the hammer to move upward and 4forwardtoward and against the head of the pin B. l'n order to hold back thehammer and prevent its being accidentally thrown into contact with thepin B in the transportation of the gun or any other circumstances,

thereis secured in the lower and back part of the box C a spring-hook,k, which catches on the upper or front edge, Z, of the hammerhead whenthe latter is down at the bottom of the box. This spring is also made toserve another purpose-viz., that of insuring avery forcible blowof thehammer by requiring suficient force to be applied to the hammer throughthe cord G to make the hammer itself throw back the said spring beforeit can escape. The force thus accumulated in the hammer before it beginsto move makes it ily upward and forward very suddenly and violently. Inorder to provide for the escape of the hammer from the hook k, as abovedescribed, the edge Z of the hammer-head and the point of the hook 7care somewhat rounded. The hammer after striking the blow falls backquickly, A

a start being given to it by the reaction of the spring b on the pin B.Vhen the charge has been ignited, the pressure ofthe gases evolved,acting on the inner end of the pin B, drives back the said pininstantaneously, and so causes the valve c to close and prevent theescape of any gas around the pin. The object of the spring b is not toclose but only to start the valve.

Above the central bore provided in the plug A for the reception of thespring B there is drilled through the said plug, parallel with the saidbore, a passage, m, for the purpose of igniting the charge in anotherway in case of the cap or priming before described missing lire. Thispassage is to receive a thin tube, n, to the outer end of which issecured a nipp1e, p, for the reception of a percussion-cap, the saidtube being long enough to pass right through the front end of the plugA, and pointed to penetrate-the cloth of which the cartridge iscomposed. This tube is kept on hand lled with gunpowder, but notinserted until after the failure of the pin B to effect the ignition ofthe charge; but the passage m is tightly closed by means of a steel rod,s, Fig. l, said rod hav-y ing a head, s', which fits close up to anipple, o, which is screwed tightly into the mouth of the passage m, andthe head of the said rod being held in place by the back of a cavity, q,that is formed in a hinged lid, A', provided on the top of the rearportion of the plug A. In case of the pin B missing fire, the lid A isopened, the rod s drawn out, andthe tube 'n inserted.

To explode the cap on the nipple p there is provided what may be calledthe secondary percussion-pin G, Figs. 2, 3, and 4, which isl fitted toslide and also to turn in a bearing or guide, the lower half of which isformed in the top ofthe back part of the plug A, and the upper half in acovering-plate, vU, upon which the lid A- shuts down. The rear end ofthis pin G enters the hammer-box. On one side of the said pin there is aprojection, G,which, when the rod s is in the passage m and the lid Aisclosed, occupies a horizontal position, as shown in Figf 3, in whichposition it is received, partly within Aa recess, lv, in the plug A andpartly within a recess, o', in the cap A, and so confined in place belowthe head s of the rod s,- but when, after the pin B has failed toexplode the priming g, the lid A has been opened, the rod s withdrawn,and the tube n inserted, the pin G is drawn back vfar enough to let thefront of the projection G clear the cap on the nipple p, and the saidpin is then turned byhand to bring the projection G to an uprightposition behind the said nipple, as

shown in Fig. 2, after which the cord L is again pulled and the hammercaused to strike the head B of the pin'B and drive the said pin forward,driving the said head against the rear end of the pin G, and so drivingforward the latter pin and causing its projection Gl to strike andexplode the cap on the nipple p, and thereby causing lire to betransmitted to the charge through the tube n. When this mode of ignitingthe charge has to be resorted to, the cap A is open and the escape ofgas at the point ofignition is not prevented. This escape, taking placethrough the nipple p, is made the means of throwing back the pin G andof turning over its head G to the horizontal position shown in Fig. 3,the throwing back of the said pin being effected by the direct backwardpressure of the gas on the front of the said projection, and theturningaside being effected by its action in a small oblique notch, 7,(see Figs. 2 and 4,) cut inthe said face opposite the vent of the saidnipple. ,Instead of the tube n, the nipple 1' may be made longer and apercussion-cap applied to it after the with drawal of the rod s, suchcap to be exploded by the projection G of the rod Gin the same manner asthe cap on the nipple p. When the firing has been performed by ignitionthrough the passage m, the rod s should be replaced and the lid or capAclosed again. This lid or cap should be so fitted as to enable it toclose air and water tight to exclude Vrain or wet or moisture in anyform from all the parts within the plug A.

If it should under any circumstances become desirable to abandon thegun, it may be disabled by unscrewing the plug A from its breech andcarrying away the plug and all the attached parts constituting the wholeof the firing apparatus; but in case it should be impracticable to dothis there is a hole, n, so drilled transversely into the plug, as shownin dotted' outline in Fig. 3, that it will partly intersect the twopassages in which the two pins B and G work. By .driving a pin or spiketightly into this hole, it is made to pass in front of the pin G, andthrough a notch provided for the purpose in the pin B, and hence neitherpin can be driven forward by the hammer. The mouth of the hole n iskeptclosed by a screw-plug, w, which will have to be removed for spiking thegun in the manner above mentioned.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,isf l. The hammer D, arranged in a box, C, at-V t and applied relativelyto the principal percussion-pin B to operate substantially as hereinspecified, for the purpose set forth.

' WILLIAM JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

E. SOHUMACHER, E. MELLQN.

